This invention relates generally to shutter closures, and more particularly to a power-driven shutter assembly of the type particularly adapted for use on emergency vehicles such as fire trucks and paramedic trucks.
It is conventional to provide external compartments on the sides and rear ends of fire trucks and other emergency vehicles in order to enable ready access to equipment stored in the compartments by workers outside the trucks. Typically, shutters are provided on such compartments to cover the equipment to prevent it from being damaged during transport and to insure against its theft.
A known shutter assembly includes a pair of tracks supported within the opening of a compartment at each side thereof, and a curtain formed of a plurality of rails and having end shoes received in the tracks for guiding bi-directional sliding movement of the curtain between a lowered, closed position and a raised, open position exposing the equipment to the exterior of the truck. An upper end of the curtain is connected to a spring-loaded operator by a pair of straps so that when the curtain is manually raised, the operator assists in the lifting movement, balancing the force required to lift the curtain with that required to lower it.
A feature of the conventional shutter construction is a manually actuated lock for locking the curtain in the closed position so that only authorized personnel can access the compartment. The locking arrangement includes a pair of rods supported in the bottom rail of the curtain for longitudinal shifting movement between extended positions in which the rods extend outward from the curtain into holes in each of the tracks, and retracted positions. A key-actuated lock is also supported on the bottom rail of the curtain and is operable by a key for shifting the rods between the extended and retracted positions to lock and unlock the curtain.
One problem encountered in the use of conventional shutter closures on exterior compartments of emergency vehicles is that it takes time for firemen and paramedics exiting the truck at an emergency site to unlock and lift the shutter curtains in order to gain access to the equipment in the various compartments. As such, conventional closures present a barrier to rapid deployment of the equipment carried by emergency vehicles.